Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakang\u2019o has raised concerns over the government\u2019s push for macroeconomic stability, warning that key fiscal reforms remain partial, uneven and insufficiently pro-poor.<\/p>\n
\nSpeaking at the launch of Kenya\u2019s 2026 Macro Fiscal Analytic Snapshot by the Institute of Public Finance on Thursday, Nyakang\u2019o said the country\u2019s fiscal efforts need a sharper focus on citizen welfare.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe gap between policy commitments, budget approvals and actual outcomes remains one of Kenya\u2019s most persistent public finance challenges,\u201d Nyakang\u2019o said.<\/p>\n
\nShe points out some of the key areas of concern. While the government has increased allocations to the Primary Health Care Fund and the Emergency, Critical and Chronic Illness Fund, Nyakang\u2019o notes persistent challenges in health financing.<\/p>\n
\nThese include delayed reimbursements to health facilities, transparency gaps, uneven protection for vulnerable groups, high out-of-pocket spending, and declining donor support that is not yet fully offset by domestic funding.<\/p>\n
\nWithout predictable funding flows, she warns, health reforms risk failing at the point of service delivery.<\/p>\n
\nNyakang\u2019o also stress that the introduction of Zero-Based Budgeting and the Privatisation Act, 2025, are steps in the right direction, but issues remain regarding revenue optimism, poor sequencing of fiscal consolidation and accountability risks in new financing vehicles.<\/p>\n
\nGender and social programmes remain particularly vulnerable during fiscal tightening, she notes, emphasising that gender equality and social protection are not optional expenditures, but core obligations of the state.<\/p>\n
\nAdditionally, she warns that over-reliance on IMF-supported programmes could further constrain social spending and suppress household welfare.<\/p>\n
\nThe operationalisation of the National Infrastructure Fund was also flagged, with concerns that its establishment through the Government-Owned Enterprise Act bypasses parliamentary scrutiny, weakening public oversight.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cOn this, it will be necessary to also monitor whether privatisation proceeds that will be channelled to the fund, contrary to the Consolidated Fund, will finance viable and clearly verifiable projects,\u201d Nyakang\u2019o said.<\/p>\n
\n“Social health insurance reforms, meanwhile, require careful tracking to ensure they improve health system performance and advance progress toward universal health coverage,” she added.<\/p>\n
\nWholesomely, Nyakang\u2019o calls for more credible and realistic budgeting anchored in conservative revenue projections, stronger execution discipline and reforms that protect human development and social spending even during fiscal adjustment.<\/p>\n
\nShe emphasises the need for transparent and accountable fiscal reforms that place citizens at the heart of public finance decisions.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBudgets must do more than balance books; they must deliver dignity, opportunity and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Controller of Budget (CoB) Margaret Nyakang\u2019o has raised concerns over the government\u2019s push for macroeconomic stability, warning that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":432469,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[45,49,48,179951,179949,46,179952,43,179953,179947,179950,179948],"class_list":{"0":"post-432468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-consolidated-fund","12":"tag-controller-of-budget","13":"tag-economy","14":"tag-gender-and-social-programs","15":"tag-headlines","16":"tag-imf-supported-programs","17":"tag-kenyas-budget-reforms-uneven-and-insufficiently-pro-poor","18":"tag-margaret-nyakango","19":"tag-says-cob-nyakango"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=432468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/432469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=432468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=432468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=432468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}